British Prime Minister David Cameron was braced Wednesday for difficult questions over his decision to hire Andy Coulson as his media chief, as the former News of the World editor convicted of phone hacking awaited a verdict on other charges.

Former Rupert Murdoch confidante Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges while former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was convicted of plotting to hack phones in a dramatic end to Britain`s marathon media trial on Tuesday.

Rebekah Brooks, Rupert Murdoch`s former British newspaper boss, told a London court on Thursday she had sanctioned payments to public officials but denied authorising illegal sums for which she is on trial.

Rebekah Brooks, the former boss of Rupert Murdoch`s British newspapers, who is on trial for phone-hacking and other charges, was acquitted on Thursday of one charge of authorising an illegal payment for a picture of Prince William in a bikini.

Rebekah Brooks, the former boss of Rupert Murdoch`s British newspapers, is due to begin her defence on Wednesday against allegations she was complicit in widespread phone-hacking at the now defunct News of the World weekly.

Former News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson were having an affair for much of the time they were allegedly involved in phone hacking at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid, a London court heard.

The first trial from the phone-hacking scandal that sank Rupert Murdoch`s News of the World opens in Britain on Monday with his key aide Rebekah Brooks and the prime minister`s former media chief Andy Coulson among the defendants.

Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of the Rupert Murdoch-owned News International, on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to all charges related to phone hacking that led to the closure of News of the World tabloid.